Gentex 453 Mirror and temp sensor install in 2014 Off Road - Pictures

Sub'd.

 

I just ordered one from Bob too, got the one with compass only but white backlit everything with the little white downfacing LED. Didn't feel like messing with running a temp probe.

+1 for ordering from Bob, he's extremely pleasant to deal with and he shipped out (or at least prepped for shipping) my order insanely fast. (on a Sunday! about 3 hours after I sent payment!) He also sent it priority USPS. Tracking info says 2-day. So hopefully I'll have it by Wednesday.

Edit: Here's a link to what he sells: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ew-mirrors-2009-15-tacomas-other-toyotas.html

So now I [impatiently] wait

Also, was the stock mirror easy to remove?

 

One Torx screw and the stock mirror is off.

 

subbed

 

I was hoping to hear that

Thanks

 

Copying my post in another mirror thread over... just to give a +1 on how easy it is:

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Got my mirror from Bob in today. Woulda got it yesterday but I forgot to tell my gf it was coming in and she missed the mailman, lol.

It was *super* easy to do. If I can do it in ~20 minutes (almost 10 of it was getting the little plastic piece that hides the wire and makes it look stock in place... I was doing it wrong at the start but then had an "ah ha!" moment and saw how it snapped into place, lol), then anyone can do it.

It's literally unscrew and pop off old mirror, unscrew and pop out top console, remove cover on prewired plug in console, pop new mirror on (I screwed it in as the last step just in case I needed to move it), poke plug and cable thru headliner, plug in, pop in little plastic cover over wire showing, pop and screw console back in... done! Super easy.

Thank you Bob for the fantastic service and insane fast shipping. I am now happy with my mirror again!

I didn't take any pics as there are plenty from other users, but I will post some when it gets dark of the display and the bottom white LED, since I haven't seen anyone post that yet. Most people here go with the one with the temp as well. In Texas, it's pretty much just hot, or cold for maybe 2 months. Entune isn't exactly accurate but it's close enough for down here.

 

I did this install today in my 2015 SR5 DCLB. This thread was a great help, many props to the OP, and others who have added additional information along the way.

The little bit that I learned today that I thought I would pass along:

1. I think it has been mentioned, but there on the engine side, where the factory wires go through the grommet, on that grommet at about 6 o'clock is a little rubber nipple. When you run your coat hanger, or whatever you are going to use to pull the wires, it is that nipple that you are going to hit. To make it easier, you might just want to cut a small slit in this nipple from the engine side, and your coat hanger will then be able to pop right through. I knew that the nipple existed there, but I hadn't pieced together was that was what I was going to hit when pushing my coat hanger through from inside the truck. I finally used a straight piece of wire, and pushed through from the inside, and the hole that I made was right through the end of that nipple on the engine side. In hindsight, it would have been really easy to just make a slice in it from the beginning.

2. I initially thought I would drill a hole like the OP had done to mount my sensor. Like others, I also have the tow package, and so I had extra equipment in the way. As one poster did here, he simply mounted it on the other side. I thought I would do the same. However, for me, trying to coordinate drilling a hole in that support piece in a confined area wasn't much fun. I'm sure I didn't have the most ideal drill bit either, but after playing around a while, I decided to see if there was an easier way. What I ended up doing was using the topmost pre-drilled hole on that support piece (the same piece the factory sensor is mounted to). This topmost hole is about 3" above the factory sensor. I went by the hardware store and picked up a 1/4" x 1" threaded bolt, three 1/4" flange washers, a 1/4" lock washer, and a 1/4" Whiz Nut. I then mounted the sensor upright to the frame using this existing hole. The pattern I used was: bolt, flange washer, temperature sensor, flange washer, through the support piece, flange washer, lock washer, whiz nut. This is probably hilariously overkill, but I wanted to keep metal-to-metal when attaching it to the beam, and not do something that would have the plastic wearing on the metal. I'm sure it's exceedingly unlikely, but nuts, bolts and washers are cheap, so what the heck. I did decide to remove (as you are looking at the front of the truck) the left horn, and that opened up a lot of space to make installing the sensor really easy. When all said and done, the sensor ends up being about right behind the Toyota emblem on the grill - if viewing from the front of the truck.

3. The factory plug in the overhead console doesn't have a "cap" on it anymore - at least on my 2015 it didn't have one. I was able to snap the connector for the mirror straight into my plug without having to remove any cap pieces.

4. Once I turned everything on, my temperature lit up right away, and my compass reading was in CAL mode. The directions said to set the compass zone and drive around for a while, and the mirror would auto-calibrate. I did this, and after a bit of driving, it was till on CAL. So, I did a search on the net, and found another Gentex model mirror where it said you might need to drive in circles - up to three times - for the mirror to calibrate. I had found a location where I could do just that, and all the sudden, the mirror started reading the proper direction. Since I was already there, I still drove in the circles, and watched as the direction rolled around accordingly. Both the temp and the compass reading seem to be very responsive in updating.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing their knowledge. This thread was a great benefit for me, and I'm so happy I went with this mirror and installed it myself. I'm still at a loss why my 2002 Dodge Dakota had all this built in, and my 2015 Toyota Tacoma didn't, but I'm set now!

 

Thanks for this write up, it helped a lot!

I did a few things different that may make it a bit easier for some.

First, there was no way I was able to get the sensor mounted where you did. I got a hole drilled, but after dropping the screw about 6 times I said screw it (no pun intended) and used a pre-existing bolt up by the horn. It looks tight but nothing is touching, and it was a joy to put on compared to the recommended location. It also is a bit farther away from the radiator, which could 'potentially' throw the accuracy off (ok, probably not, but it made me feel better anyway). It also is still getting fresh air flow from the opening at the top of the grill, as shown in the second pic.





The next thing I did differently was I didn't double over the hanger for the pull through the grommet. I cut the hanger, then pushed the freshly cut sharp end through the grommet. Easy peasy, it poked right through. Then I used electrical tape to fasten the wires to the hanger, put a tiny bit of dish soap on the outside of the tape to lube it up, and it pulled right back through with no issues at all. I then snipped the wires rather than unwrap the tape. There is way more than enough wire so no worries there.



And...the obligatory final product picture:

 

Thank you for posting this. Great ideas (and wish you would have posted the hanger trick before I did mine).

I originally had my sensor mounted down below the center bracket behind the bumper and I would receive pretty hot readings when the truck was idling in traffic (Its hot in Texas, but I knew it wasn't 123*). After seeing both your and BluePanda's posts, I moved my sensor up to a pre-existing hole up above the factory sensor, no longer shielded behind the bumper or under that center bracket. I just used a 1/4" stainless bolt I had on hand and larger washer behind the nyloc nut due to the pre-existing hole being pretty large using a piece of closed cell foam to isolate the plastic from the metal brace to help eliminate vibration. I think BluePanda describes using the hole above the one I did. I think the location in front of the open grill will be much better.

Thanks to both of you for the great ideas.

 

An option you may consider if you have one of Bob's mirrors...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...ml#post9455531

 

Thanks MustDrive! Your write-up was great! I got the mirror installed yesterday following your instructions. Added a piece of wire-wrap (just to be anal) and life's good...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/360351-gentex-453-installation.html

Thanks for your help!

Trace

 

Great post. One question, what is the factory temp sensor you reference in your pics used for?

Thanks

 

Thanks for the compliment. I don't know what the factory temp sensor is used for, I read on this site somewhere that the climate control system uses it, but I don't know more than that.

Dave

 

Hey guys, quick question. How hard is it to get the wire through the headliner? Is there enough space to just fish it through? I'm a bit nervous playing around with it too much and ending up stretching out the liner or causing to come undone (my '69 Chevelle was notorious for headliner troubles so I'm always cautious about it now). Also any updates from the guys who installed this a while back, still working out good? Any issues that have popped up regarding the wire routing?

I appreciate the help. Looking forward to getting mine installed!

 

Good question, I suffer from headliner fear as well!

 

Hi, I'm the OP. About the headliner, I couldn't remember so I looked at my first post. I remember being worried about the headliner too, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Here is what I wrote then, which about all I can remember about it anyway:

"I ran the temp sensor wire from the mirror along the very front edge of the headliner to the A-pillar. I was able to pull down the very front edge of the headliner anywhere I needed to find the end of the wire and assist it along (you cannot push on a rope, or a thin wire). I removed the A-pillar trim and ran the wire down to the opening in the dash."

My mirror has worked great so far, and I'm glad I installed it.

Dave

 

+1 to the OP. It's pretty easy to run the wire through the headliner. Plenty of room. If you don't have fish tape a coat hanger will do just fine.

 

Awesome, glad to hear it's still working out for you! That post is actually what scared me a little bit, having to pull down the front of the liner is what got me a bit worried. Good to know that that you haven't had any troubles with the liner or the mirror!

Thanks for the info! I was planning on just using a hanger or something to run it up there so good to know you didn't have any issues as well.

I think this settles it, I'm going to have to put one in now! haha

 

How did you hide the wires coming down from the headliner to the mirror base? I'm looking at this mirror for my 2015 Access cab. Also, is there a switched wire in the overhead console area?

 

Sub'd, great info on temp probe.